American Airlines FAs Ratify New Labor Agreement

DALLAS — American Airlines (AA) flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), have approved a new collective bargaining agreement.

The contract significantly improves pay, benefits, and working conditions for the airline’s nearly 28,000 flight attendants. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed his enthusiasm, emphasizing that securing this agreement has been a top priority.

Last year, flight attendants turned down a proposal that offered an immediate 18% pay increase, followed by annual 2% raises. The union was pushing for a 33% upfront raise with four subsequent yearly increases of 6% each.

American Airlines flight attendants, who have not received pay raises since 2019, had threatened to strike but were not granted approval by the National Mediation Board. Under federal law, a union can only strike if the board declares that negotiations have reached an impasse.

In July, President Biden noted that a strike at American Airlines would have been highly disruptive to both the industry and consumers. Today, the AA CEO praised both the APFA and the company's negotiating teams for their efforts in finalizing the deal, stating:

“I want to personally thank APFA President Julie Hedrick for her leadership through these negotiations and in her daily leadership of the industry’s best flight attendants. I also wish to thank Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other partners in the Administration for their support throughout this process. And a special thanks to the American team for their exceptional work in reaching an agreement we’re all proud of.”

This new agreement at AA follows a similar deal at Southwest Airlines (WN), where FAs approved a contract in April that will result in cumulative pay increases of around 33% over four years. Meanwhile, negotiations for United Airlines (UA) flight attendants continue, and Delta Air Lines’ (DL) nonunion cabin crews received a 5% raise in April.